Will French cinema burst its abscess? All eyes turn on Friday in Paris towards the 49e evening of the annual César film awards, against a backdrop of freedom of speech around sexual violence in the 7e art.
Many are waiting for words from Judith Godrèche, who became a leading figure in French #MeToo after filing a complaint against directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon for sexual and physical violence during her adolescence, which the latter deny.
“Whether I go to the Césars or not, we don’t care,” cut off the actress, two days before the ceremony, calling instead to “hear” the victims. “Our community suffers in silence. Our young girls suffer in silence. And once again, once again, the government is silent, the politicians are silent, and the actors, the directors are silent.”
A few hours before the ceremony, the new French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, took the floor to denounce a “collective blindness” which “lasted for years” in the cinema sector, during an interview with the review French Film.
Judith Godrèche “said such simple things. She said: “I was a child. You saw everything and no one said anything, no one reached out to me,” added the minister.
“Creative freedom is total but here we are not talking about art, we are talking about child crime. Having sexual relations with a minor under the age of fifteen is a crime,” she insisted.
The issue is likely to overshadow the prize race between the favorite Anatomy of a fall and its competitors, such as the tribute to the actress Micheline Presle, doyenne of French cinema, who died Wednesday at the age of 101.
Because, from the indictment for rape and sexual assault of actor Gérard Depardieu to the accusations made by Judith Godrèche, followed by other actresses, sexual violence haunts French cinema more than ever.
On Thursday, actress Isild Le Besco, in turn, announced that she was “considering” filing a complaint against Jacques Doillon and Benoît Jacquot, denouncing a “destructive influence” and “violence”. And actor Aurélien Wiik launched the hashtag #MeTooGarçons on Instagram.
Mr. Doillon intends to file a complaint for “defamation” against Mr.me Godrèche.
Polanski spectrum
The multiplication of these accusations feeds the suspicion that, among filmmakers, actors and other professionals of the 7e art that will take place at the Olympia, some have turned a blind eye to this type of fact.
The words of the president of the ceremony, actress Valérie Lemercier, will be scrutinized. And the line-up of French cinema stars who will follow one another to host the evening are expected around the corner.
Supposed to represent cinema in its diversity, the Césars have evolved since the cataclysmic 2020 edition where Roman Polanski, accused of rape, received the award for best director for I accusecausing the departure of actress Adèle Haenel.
The institution has been renewed. A rule of “non-highlighting” of those accused by the courts “for acts of violence” has been instituted (no invitation to events linked to the Caesars, no presentation of statuettes on stage, nor speeches for the laureats).
A sacred director?
A priori, none of the named people are the subject of accusations. Actor Samuel Theis (Anatomy of a fall) is under investigation after a technician filed a rape complaint while filming a film last summer, but he is not among those named.
Anatomy of a fall, Palme d’Or at Cannes and nominated five times for the Oscars (on the evening of March 10 in Los Angeles), garnered 11 nominations. The best film trophy could be between him and The animal kingdomfantasy film by Thomas Cailley (12 nominations).
At 45, its director Justine Triet could make César history by becoming the second woman to win the prize for best director, a quarter of a century after Tonie Marshall (Venus Beauty (institute) in 2000). Two other directors (out of five nominated) are in the running: Catherine Breillat (Last summer) and Jeanne Herry (I will always see your faces).
Monia Chokri in the running for best foreign film
Honorary Césars must be awarded to the French actress and director Agnès Jaoui who publicly recounted being a victim of sexual violence in her childhood, and to the American-British filmmaker Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer).